


Wake-Up Call

by kdeutsch80



Category: Hunger Games (2012) RPF, Josh Hutcherson - Fandom, Joshifer - Fandom, Real Person Fiction, jennifer lawrence -fandom
Genre: F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 04:46:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3106547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kdeutsch80/pseuds/kdeutsch80
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and Jen learn why it's important to be quiet</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wake-Up Call

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first foray into writing Joshifer fiction. Giving it a permanent home here.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't know either of these people. This is simply a work of fiction that came to fruition in this crazy brain of mine.

The air is thick and heavy, filled with the heat and scents of our latest display of passion. My chest rises and falls with reckless abandon as I try to catch my breath. I reach out and rest my hand on another body fighting to regain its normal breathing pattern.

"Fuck, Jen" I manage to say. "That was one hell of a wake up call."

She struggles to let out a chuckle but only manages “Mmm, mmhmmm.”

“Where the hell did that come from? Man, you were really, um, enthusiastic today.”

Jen slides back on the bed and leans back against her pillows. She shakes her head and looks over at me. “You know that being quiet was never my forte.” 

Leaning over, she places her warm, soft lips upon my own. There’s still some heat to our kiss but she pulls away after a few seconds.

“And maybe we’re just that good together,” Jen whispers.

Swinging her legs off the bed, she gets up and heads for the bathroom. My eyes wander of their own accord, taking in her slender form; the legs that run all the way up, the supple skin of her back, the neck that I can’t kiss enough. Eleven years of marriage and she’s more beautiful now than she was on our wedding day.

God, do I want her again.

Jen stops in the doorway to our bathroom and looks back just as I’m licking my lips and eyeing her up like a meal. I know she’s caught me when I see the shitty smirk on her face.

“Down boy, some of us have places to be today.” The smirk is still on her face when she starts walking back into the bathroom and closing the door.

“Then don’t fucking stand in the doorway with nothing on. You’re an evil woman, standing there teasing me like that,” I shout. 

Jen laughs in that evil and seductive way that only she can do. Fuck, she’s really killing me now.

The door opens again and she pokes her head out. 

“Go get the kids ready for school Joshy.” She winks and closes the bathroom door again.

I stare at the ceiling for a moment, willing myself to calm down. Sometimes, I really hate what she can do to me.

After a day of production meetings and getting the boys to where they need to be, we finally get to sit down. Jen finishes setting the table as I carry in the tray of ribs from off the grill. The house is quieter than usual and something feels off.

Setting the tray on the table, I glance into the living room. Our boys are cuddled up on the couch together. I feel Jen brush up next to me. She, too, is much quieter than usual. Now I know that something is wrong.

“He’s got the blanket out again,” she says, gesturing towards Riley. Last year, when he turned seven, he informed us that he was much too old to have a blankie. Since then, we’ve pretended that we don’t know it’s hidden under his pillow. This is the first time since then that he’s brought it out of his room. It’s bunched up in his hands and a piece of it is currently tucked into the corner of his mouth. Whatever is bothering him enough to have brought out his blanket is also bad enough for that old habit to have returned too.

Wrapping my arm around Jen, I give her a quick squeeze. Her bottom lip is pulled between her teeth and I know that her anxiety is kicking in. I’m sure it’s nothing but knowing Jen, she’s going to worry herself to death that something major happened.

“I’m sure it’s nothing Jen,” I try and reassure her. She nods unconvincingly.

“Did he say anything after school? You don’t think something happened there do you,” Jen asks nervously.

“No, he didn’t say anything. But he was really quiet this morning too, so I don’t think it has to do with school.”

We watch Riley and his four-year-old brother, Luke, for another moment. Their normal energy levels have been replaced with a disconcerting quietness. Something’s definitely up.

Jen pulls away from me and wrings the dish towel in her hand. “Let’s get them to the table and then we’ll figure it out,” I tell her.

She nods and heads into the living room. Turning back to the table, I can hear the television go silent and Jen coaxing the boys to come eat.

As they head to the table, I notice that Riley’s blanket will be joining us for dinner. He plops himself down in a chair and starts pushing the food around on the plate. Jen’s eyes meet mine and they’re filled with worry. It’s very unlike him to not be talking up a storm at the table.

It doesn’t look like he’s going to tell us what’s going on, so I guess I’ll have to dig. I throw out the obligatory dinnertime questions, how was school, what did you learn, so on and so forth. Our little chatterbox just shrugs and brushes off the questions.

This is going to be harder than I thought. Attempting a different approach, Jen starts asking Luke about his day. He follows his brother’s lead and shrugs off the question.

Ok, a silent dinner it is then.

A few moments pass and I can see that Luke is working on something. Before I can ask him what he’s thinking about, he bursts into tears.

Jen jumps out of her chair and runs to his side. “What is it baby? Why are you crying?”

It breaks my heart to see him crying, but at least now I know we’ll get somewhere. Jen wraps her arms around our little guy and pulls him close. Between the broken sobs, Luke chokes out, “I don’t want Daddy to live in a different house!”

A different house? What the hell is he talking about? Jen shoots me a look and I raise my hands in defense.

“Oh honey, Daddy’s not going anywhere. Where did you get that idea from,” asks Jen.

“Riley said that you and Daddy didn’t like each other anymore and that Daddy was going to have to sleep in a different house.”

I turn to Riley in just enough time to see him shoot a glare at Luke. “Riley, care to explain,” I ask.

The glare on his face is quickly replaced with a sheepish look. He stares at his plate and drags the fork around the mashed potatoes. “You and Mommy were fighting this morning and my friends said that meant that you were going to get a divorce and live in different houses.”

A quick glance in Jen’s direction confirms that she’s just as lost as I am. “Buddy, Mommy and I weren’t fighting this morning.”

Riley picks his head up and looks at me with a steely resolve that could only come from his mother. He doesn’t believe me and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.

“If you weren’t fighting then how come Mommy was yelling in your room this morning?”

“Honey, I wasn’t yelling this morning,” says Jen.

“Um, Jen,” I interrupt her. My eyes meet hers and a second later I watch them go wide. She claps her hand over her mouth and I hear a mumbled “Oh my God”.

Turning back to Riley, I see Jen start to walk back towards the kitchen. Both Luke and Riley are sitting at the table, looking like they just found out the truth about Santa Claus. I take in a deep breath and force myself to keep a straight face.

“Boys, Mommy and Daddy are not getting a divorce. I’m not getting another house,” I start. “Now, you guys start eating your dinner before it gets cold and I’m going to go help Mommy in the kitchen, okay?”

Both of them shake their heads up and down and go back to staring at their plates.

In the kitchen, Jen is pacing back and forth and covering her face with her hands. She looks up when she hears me come in and her face is a pretty impressive shade of red.

We stand there for a moment, just looking at each when I finally can’t hold it in anymore. I’m doubled over in laughter but still manage to get out, “Jen, if you could see your face!”

A sharp pain blooms in my shoulder when she smacks me. “Shut up Joshua! This is serious!”

“Oh, come on. This is not serious! It’s not like they walked in on us. All they heard was you yelling.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but Jen’s face turns an even darker shade of red.

“Yeah, and now they think we’re fighting. We’ve fucked them up for life, Josh. They’re going to end up in therapy at some point, laying on a couch and telling their shrink about their mother yelling in bed.” She begins pacing back and forth again, rubbing her temples.

I fight back the urge I have to still laugh and step in front of her. Grabbing her shoulders, I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head. I can feel the tension in her shoulders and the fast-paced beating of her heart.

My hands travel up to cradle Jen’s face and I pull back to be able to look her in the eyes. There’s still embarrassment and panic there, but it’s slowly ebbing away, leaving those stunning eyes that you could get lost in if you’re not careful.

“We didn’t fuck them up. Not yet, at least. I’m sure we will at some point but it won’t be because of this.”

“But what do we tell them?”

A small chuckle escapes my lips as I smile. “Well, I think Katniss and Peeta can help us with that one. You were having a nightmare and I was just helping to calm you down.”

Jen stares back at me, unblinking. A second or two passes and then I see it. A smile starts to break across her face and suddenly she erupts into laughter.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Mmm, but I’m your idiot,” I respond.

“Until I change my mind.” Jen winks at me and steps back. “I guess that could work. C’mon, let’s go tell the kids about my nightmares.”

We make our way back to the dining room table and find the boys chose to ignore my instructions. Riley has constructed a mashed potatoes volcano complete with peas spilling out of the top and Luke is using two ribs as drumsticks. At least they know how to entertain themselves.

Jen and I take our seats and again I find myself fighting to hold back the laughter.

“Ok boys,” Jen starts. “Mommy was yelling this morning, but not because I was fighting with Daddy.”

Riley goes to argue his point again but Jen stops him with a quick flick of her hand.

“You know how sometimes you have a bad dream and you get scared? And Mommy or Daddy will come sit with you in your bed so that you’re not scared anymore?”

I watch the boys’ heads bob up and down. She’s got a captive audience and there’s no doubt that this explanation is going to work. Jen goes on to tell them about how she had a bad dream and I was just helping her to not be scared anymore. And they’re buying hook, line and sinker.

After a few minutes, Riley and Luke are satisfied with this explanation and have gone back to playing with their food instead of eating it.

I reach my hand across the table and find Jen’s, giving it a light squeeze.

“Your best performance to date,” I mouth. I’m rewarded with a quick scowl and a kick under the table.

Later that night, after dinners had been eaten, baths taken, toys played with and stories read, our house was quiet.

Settling down into our bed, Jen scoots over and rests her head on my chest. I recognize the mischievous look on her face and can only wonder what she’s thought of now.

“Why do you look like the cat that caught the canary,” I ask, warily.

The impish smile on her face grows even wider. “I was just thinking, Peeta spent all those nights on the train helping to keep Katniss’ nightmares away.”

“And?”

“Maybe we can pretend we’re back on that train. Ya know, for old time’s sake.” Jen looks at me with that twinkle in her eye and I know I can’t refuse her.

“You want to pretend we’re on the train? Alright, I’m game. But Jen, maybe be a little quieter this time? I don’t know how the fuck we’d explain the choo choo noises tomorrow morning.”


End file.
